Pick and run resistant stocking and method of forming same



Jan. 31, 1967 J, J. BIRD ET AL 3,301,017

PICK AND RUN RESISTANT STOCKING AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed Feb. 7,1964 JosEPH J. BIRD and MAQVlN H.COMER ATTORNEYS INVENTOR S.

United States Patent 3,301,017 PICK AND RUN REISTANT STOCKING AND METHUD0F FORMING SAME. Joseph J. Bird and Marvin H. Corner, Burlington, N.C.,assignors to Alamance industries, Inc., Burlington, N.C., a corporationof North Carolina Filed Feb. 7, 1964, Ser. No. 343,287 9 Claims. (Cl.66-408) This invention relates generally to sheer ladies stockings inwhich at least the leg and foot portions are knit of a syntheticthermoplastic composite yarn which provides increased resistance topicks and runs and more particularly to sheer ladies stockings in whichthe composite yarn includes a core yarn with a pair of wrapping yarnswound in opposite directions about the core and wherein each componentof the composite yarn is similar in character.

Prior attempts to produce satisfactory run resistant ladies sheerstockings may be divided into the following general categories: (A)those in which special types of stitch loops are employed in an attemptto prevent the continuation of a run when a yarn is broken; (B) those inwhich several ends of yarn are knit in each stitch loop with someseparation of the yarns to reduce the likelihood that all of the yarnsin any given stitch loop will be broken at one time; and (C) those inwhich the stitch loops are fused together at their points ofinterconnection to prevent the formation of a run when the yarn isbroken.

Stockings in each of these categories are effective to some degree toincrease the resistance of the fabric to run, however, they each havecertain disadvantages and their resistance to picking is increased verylittle, if any. Also, stockings having special types of stitch loops aremore diflicult to knit than stockings having plain stitch loops and thespecial stitch loops usually produce an undesirable pattern or meshappearance. Stockings having several separated ends of yarn in eachstitch loop do not have the desired sheer appearance because of theincreased coverage.

Those stockings in which the stitch loops are fused together at theircross-over points have an objectionable degree of stiffness and thefused together connection of the stitch loops is not permanent.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a primary object of the presentinvention to provide a pick and run resistant sheer stocking havingsubstantially the same sheer appearance and feel as a conventionalladies sheer stocking that is knit of a single monofilament yarn.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pick and runresistant sheer stocking of the type described in which the syntheticthermoplastic composite yarn has a greater breaking strength than asingle monofilament yarn of comparable denier and in which the compositeyarn is not subjected to heat before the stocking is knit so that thefull shrinkage characteristic of the yarn is available during theboarding process.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a pick and runresistant stocking of the type described wherein the wrapping yarns formridges on the surface of the composite yarn that spiral and cross insubstantially a regular manner, and wherein the ridges on the yarn ofone stitch loop mate with the ridges on the yarn of an interconnectedstitch loop and resist slipping of the stitch loop yarns relative toeach other to thereby resist the 2 pulling out of the yarn of the stitchloops, which occurs when a pick is formed in. a stocking.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method offorming a pick and run resistant stocking of the type described whereina torque-free composite yarn is formed by oppositely wrapping a pair ofsynthetic thermoplastic yarns about a synthetic thermoplastic core andthen knitting plain stitch loops of the composite yarn in a conventionalmanner to form at least the leg portion of the stocking.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide asynthetic thermoplastic composite yarn that is particularly adapted forknitting a pick and run resistant sheer ladies stocking and to themethod of forming the composite yarn wherein a pair of monofilamentyarns of about 7 to 20 denier are oppositely wound about a similar coreyarn with about 30 to turns while the core yarn is held under sufficienttension so that it is maintained in a substantially straight conditionand the wrapping yarns follow oppositely spiraling and crossing pathsaround the core.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in Which- FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of aladies sheer pick and run resistant stocking made in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIGURE 2 is a greatly enlarged view of a small portion of the fabric inthat area of the leg of the stocking indicated by the dash-dot rectangle2 in FIGURE 1, and illustrating the appearance of the stitch loops whenthe fabric is stretched both walewise and coursewise; and

FIGURE 3 is a greatly enlarged elevation of the composite yarnillustrating the manner in which the first and second wrapping yarns arewound in opposite directions about the substantially straight core.

Referred particularly to FIGURE 1, there is shown a seamless ladiessheer pick and run resistant stocking S which has been knit on acircular knitting machine and then boarded. However, it is to beunderstood that the present invention is also applicable to ladiesfull-fashioned stockings as well as to other garments in which pick andrun resistance is desired.

The stocking includes a turned welt 10, a shadow welt 11, .a leg or boot12, and a foot having a heel pocket 13, an instep portion 14 and a toepocket 15. In the present instance, the turned well: 10 and the shadowwelt 11 are formed in a conventional manner and are preferably formed ofa multifilament thermoplastic yarn, such as nylon. The welt 10 and/ orthe shadow welt 11 may be provided with any desired type of decorativestitch.

The leg 12 and instep portion 14 of the foot are preferably knit ofplain stitches which are formed with a composite yarn, broadly indicatedat Y in FIGURE 3. The composite yarn Y is formed in a special manner, tobe presently described. The heel pocket 13 and the toe pocket 15 may beformed of any suitable yarn in a conventional manner and the usual toeopening may be closed by a seaming or looping operation.

It has been found that a very satisfactorily pick and run resistantstocking may be knit of a composite yarn which is formed in accordancewith the following detailed example, however, it is to be understoodthat this example is merely illustrative and the invention is notlimited thereto. The core yarn, indicated at 20 in FIGURE 3, ispreferably 7 denier raw monofilament nylon which is un- Wound from asupply tube and fed onto a take-up spool at a predetermined speed whileit is maintained under sufficient tension to maintain it insubstantially straight condition. It is preferred that the core yarn 20be maintained under about /2 to 2 grams of tension.

The core yarn 20 passes through first and second hollow spindles in itspath of travel from the supply tube to the take-up spool. The first andsecond hollow spindles each have a supply spool mounted thereon whichcontains respective first and second wrapping yarns, indicated at 21 and22 in FIGURE 3. The wrapping yarns 21 and 22 are each preferably 7denier raw monofilament nylon. The supply spools on the first and secondhollow spindles are rotated in opposite directions about the core yarnpassing therethrough so that their respective wrapping yarns 21 and 22are wrapped about the core yarn 20 in opposite directions, asillustrated in FIGURE 3. It is preferred that the first wrapping yarn 21be maintained under a slightly greater tension than the second wrappingyarn 22, as they are wound about the core 20. For example, the firstyarn 21 should be maintained with a tension of about 2 /2 to 4 grams andthe second wrapping yarn 22 should be maintained with a tension of about2 to 3 grams.

The speed of travel of the core yarn 20 must be coordinated with therotational speed of the first and second hollow spindles to control thenumber of turns per inch of the wrapping yarns 21 and 22 about the coreyarn 20. It is preferred that the wrapping yarns 21 and 22 each be woundabout the core yarn 20 with 35 turns per inch. Thus, the wrapping yarns21, 22 form ridges on the surface of the composite yarn Y that spiralaround the core 20 in opposite directions and cross each other insubstantially regular manner.

The composite yarn from the take-up spool may then be wound onto asuitable cone for knitting and a light lubricating oil may be appliedthereto during the winding operation or at the knitting machine, ifdesired, to facilitate the feeding and knitting of the composite yarn.After the conventional welt 10 and shadow welt 11 are knit, the leg orboot 12 is knit by feeding the composite yarn Y to the needles of theknitting machine to form interconnected stitch loops, as shown in walesW-30, W-31 and W-32 of courses C-30, C-31 and -32 of FIGURE 2. Thecrossing and spiraling on the surface of the composite yarn Y tend tomate together at their points of connection of the stitch loops, asshown in FIGURE 2, and any pull applied to the yarn Y will be resistedby the ridgy nature of the surface of the yarn so that the stitch loopscannot be easily pulled out, when the fabricis picked.

As shown in FIGURE 2, there is some slight separation of the wrappingyarns 21, 22 from the core yarn 20 and from each other so that it isunlikely that all three yarns will be broken to cause a run and if onlyone yarn is broken, the remaining yarns will hold the stitch loop. Thestrength of the three ends of 7 denier yarn is about 15 to 25 percentgreater than the strength of a single end of 21 denier. Although thereis some slight separation of the wrap yarns 21, 22 from the core yarn 20and from each other, the wrapping yarns cross each other and the coreyarn at about six or seven points in each stitch loop so that thesepoints have the apparent thickness .of a single 7 denier yarn and theoverall appearance of the fabric is substantially the same as aconventional sheer ladies stocking which is knit of a singlemonofilament nylon yarn. The wrapping yarns each are wound completelyabout the core yarn about 3 /2 times in each stitch loop in FIGURE 2 andwhile this may be varied, it is preferred that they be wrapped about thecore yarn at least two times in each stitch loop.

While it is preferred that the core yarn 20 and the wrapping yarns 21,22 each be a monofilament of the same denier, it is to be understoodthat the core yarn 20 could be a multifilarnent of a different denier,such as 7/3, 15/3 4 or 21/ 3, if desired. Although some of the sheernessof the fabric will be sacrificed, the yarns may be of a heavier denier,such as 10, 12, or denier, and the number of turns per inch of thewrapping yarns about the core yarn may be varied within the range ofabout to 70 turns or wraps per inch. However, the wrapping yarns shouldbe wrapped about the core with a sufficient number of turns per inch toproduce enough ridges in each stitch loop to resist the pulling of theyarn through the stitch loops and picks in the fabric.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in theclaims.

We claim:

1. A pick and run resistant knit fabric comprising courses ofinterconnected stitch loops knit of a composite yarn consisting of asynthetic thermoplastic core yarn and a pair of thermoplastic yarnswrapped in a regular manner about said core yarn in opposite directions,said oppositely wrapped yarns being wrapped with a sufiicient number ofturns whereby each of said wrapped yarns makes at least two completeturns around said core yarn in each stitch loop of the fabric.

2. A knit fabric according to claim 1 wherein said core yarn and saidwrapped yarns are each monofilament and within the range of about 7 to20 denier.

3. A knit fabric according to claim 1 wherein said wrapped yarns areeach wound about said core yarn within the range of about 30 to 70 turnsper inch.

4. A knitted pick and run resistant ladies sheer stocking wherein atleast the major portion of the leg comprises courses of interconnectedstitch loops knit of a composite yarn consistirtg of syntheticthermoplastic monofilment core yarn within the range of about 7 to 20denier and a pair of monofilament yarns wrapped about said core yarn inopposite directions, said wrapped yarns being similar in character toeach other and to said core yarn, and said Wrapped yarns being woundabout said core yarn within the range of about 30 to 70 turns per inch.

5. A sheer knit stocking fabric according to claim 4 wherein said coreyarn and said wrapped yarns are each about 7 denier, and said wrappedyarns are each wound about said core yarn with about turns per inch.

6. A method of forming a knited pick and run resistant ladies sheerstocking having leg and foot portions, said method comprising the stepsof forming a composite yarn by wrapping first and second syntheticthermoplastic yarns in opposite directions to each other and about asynthetic thermoplastic core yarn, and knitting the stocking whileknitting at least the major portion of the leg of courses of thecomposite yarn and forming stitch loops of a sufficient size that eachof said wrap yarns makes at least two complete turns around said coreyarn in each stitch loop.

7. In a method according to claim 6 wherein the Wrap yarns and the coreyarn are each monofilaments within the range of about 7 to 20 denier,and the wrap yarns are each Wound about the core yarn within the rangeof about 30 to 70 turns per inch.

8. In a method according to claim 7 wherein the wrap yarns and the coreyarn are each about 7 denier, and the wrap yarns are each wound aboutthe core yarn with about 35 turns per inch.

9. A method of forming a knitted pick and run resistant ladies sheerstocking having leg and foot portions, said method comprising the stepsof forming a composite yarn by wrapping first and second syntheticthermoplastic monofilament yarns within the range of about 7 to 20denier about a similar core yarn while winding the first and secondyarns about the core yarn within the range of about 30 to 70 turns perinch, and

5 6 knitting the stocking while knitting at least the major 2,921,4551/1960 Furge 66178 XR portion of the leg of courses of the compositeyarn. 3,115,693 12/ 1963 Chandler 28-72 References Cited by the Examiner26 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,9 1878 Great Britain. UNITED STATES PATENTS 5351,123 8/1937 Italy. 2,211,643 8/1940 Bry 57144 2,636,369 4/1953 Tait 617 MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. 2,731,789 1/1956 Holder 57-1602,251,268 8/1956 Clawson W. C. REYNOLDS, Assistant Examiner.

2,795,123 6 /1957 Schumann 66178 10

1. A PICK AND RUN RESISTANT KNIT FABRIC COMPRISING COURSES OFINTERCONNECTED STITCH LOOPS KNIT OF A COMPOSITE YARN CONSISTING OF ASYNTHETIC THERMOPLASTIC CORE YARN AND A PAIR OF THERMOPLASTIC YARNSWRAPPED IN A REGULAR MANNER ABOUT SAID CORE YARN IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS,SAID OPPOSITELY WRAPPED YARNS BEING WRAPPED WITH A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OFTURNS WHEREBY EACH OF SAID WRAPPED YARNS MAKES AT LEAST TWO COMPLETETURNS AROUND SAID CORE YARN IN EACH STITCH LOOP OF THE FABRIC.